Are ‘rent-a-cops’ Threatening Security?
In the aftermath of 9/11, private security officers are being asked to step into the breach and fill gaps in the nation’s homeland security plans. But experts warn that most of this 2 million person workforce receives little or no training, aren’t subjected to rigorous background checks for previous criminal behavior and are paid so poorly that many quickly leave for better paying jobs. Private security services are a nearly $12 billion a year industry in the United States. They are employed to protect everything from the Empire State building to Rockefeller Center to the Mall of America to Ft. Bragg and West Point and nearly every nuclear power plant in the nation. Full Story